Entertainment

Evolution Of Standup Comedy

Published

on

Right now, how many stand-up comedians can you name? Now contrast that with the number you knew approximately ten years ago. The rise of stand-up comedy in India has been largely attributed to significant changes that have occurred in recent years. Comedy was always as diverse as the nation itself, ranging from slapstick humour shows on TV to the youtube clips our relatives share in the WhatsApp groups for the family to comedic geniuses such Johnny Lever and Kader Khan. However, stand-up comedy has historically been seen as secondary in the grand scheme of things, existing only as an urban phenomenon with a select audience.

The phrase “stand-up” has hazy beginnings, but it most likely gained popularity in the 1940s when comics performing on stages in summer resorts in the Catskills, often known as the “Borscht Belt,” developed the format that we are now quite familiar with. But until it gained a national stage, the creative form didn’t fully take root in the public imagination. Here is the history of how stand-up comedy developed into the popular form it is today.

Let’s talk about the best stand-up comedians, how stand-up humour has changed over time, and more.

Initial Origins: Minstrel Shows

The fundamentals of stand-up comedy are rather straightforward. There is only a comic and an audience present. However, it also differs significantly from how comedy has typically been performed. Before stand-up comedy became popular, comedy was primarily presented through the printed language or through some kind of theatrical performance. Simple and unpolished was stand-up comedy.

When tracing the history of stand-up comedy, one common place to start is with minstrel shows. Because minstrel performances were so blatantly racist, it’s a little bad that this is how a genre got started. These kinds of performances first appeared in the 1830s and are now seen all over the country.

Types of Shows

Variety shows were essentially what minstrel performances were. They mostly consisted of musical acts, but would also involve dance, sketches, and – as we will see in a moment – something that was very akin to stand-up comedy. However, the fact that white people in blackface appeared in minstrel performances is probably what makes them most well-known.

It won’t come as a surprise to you to find that all these minstrel shows had a very racial bent. These blackface actors would dress up as black people and play on stereotypes to get laughs, usually depicting black people as stupid or superstitious. Slaves and plantation settings were common characters. The popularity of these programmes skyrocketed in the United States, where they persisted for 50 years before finally dying out in the early 1900s.

How may minstrel shows be used to analyse the roots of stand-up comedy? On some shows, there would be comedic routines with a brief setup and a punchline. The format, however, sets this apart from contemporary stand-up comedy. There were two people performing on stage rather than just one. The joke would be set up by one person, and the punch line would be delivered by the other.

The Vaudeville Era 

If you are familiar with stand-up comedy’s past, you are aware that vaudeville played a significant role in the development of the genre. In fact, if you look at the history of stand-up comedians, you could easily make the case that this was the time when it was completely formed. Variety shows were also a part of vaudeville. Up until the 1920s, Vaudeville dominated the American comedy scene. It began gaining popularity in the 1880s.

A New Dynamic

As vaudeville expanded, comedy changed to fit this brand-new environment. The majority of American comedians at the period delivered lengthy stories with a comic resolution, a style that really is possibly most closely related to writer Mark Twain. Obviously, this kind of humour didn’t work with the fast-paced nature of vaudeville. As a result, there were two main techniques for vaudeville performers to elicit laughter from the audience.

Some comedians would employ a slapstick type of physical humour, including pie-in-the-face jokes, falling, and other elements. Others made people giggle with their words. Due to time constraints, comedians started to develop the rapid setup and punchline comic technique that would later serve as the basis for stand-up comedy. It’s even possible to make the case that a large number of vaudeville artists were stand-up comedians.

The First Famous Stand-up Comedian

The first individual who might be referred to as a famous stand-up comedian is probably Will Rogers, despite the fact that there were numerous people who were known regionally for their vaudeville performances. He started out his career in vaudeville comedy. Due to his accomplishment, he was offered the first of almost 70 film contracts. He also wrote syndicated newspaper pieces, which helped him spread his brand over the globe.

A Modern Look at an Old Art

People might be surprised to learn that stand-up comedy began in the 1830s and reached its contemporary form by the first decade of the 20th century. Despite the fact that stand-up comedy did not become as famous as it is now until the 1970s, it had been a staple of society since the end of vaudeville, with comics becoming in-demand performers on broadcast series like The Ed Sullivan Show. At the Comedy Village Comedy Club in Montreal, you can see the best comedians performing today. Anyone is welcome to attend our forthcoming English comedy presentations. We’re confident that after a night of laughs, you’ll feel good. Due to the various and avant-garde approaches utilized by entertainers in the past, stand-up comedy is still evolving today. While the most well-known comedians of today started their careers in nightclubs and also as emcees, similar to those of the past, a more accepting and tolerant society has allowed for the rise in popularity of female comedians in a field that was formerly dominated by men.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version